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Monday, March 5, 2012

Tree swallow sightings trigger flights of imagination

Sherry Boas
SIMPLY LIVING

The first time I saw the lakeside property where we now
live, a flock of swallows was flying overhead.The acrobatic birds – there must have been at least two dozen of them -
took turns skimming over the water’s still surface before soaring upward,
circling about then swooping down for another go-around.I remember standing on the shore mesmerized by
what looked like poetry in motion.I
felt privy to a private show.

I fell in love that day with a land and lake rich with potential.Both held promise of many more performances
to come.The encounter with the swallows
fed my imagination.Because of them, I envisioned
a future of wildlife encounters, a host of nature’s bounties.

The deal was clinched.Twenty years have passed since that day and I haven’t been disappointed.Each time swallows reappear, I flashback to that
magical first impression of our property.

It happened again today.

Tree swallows (Tachycineta bicolor) are seasonal visitors to
Florida, venturing south in autumn to enjoy the warm winter climate before
returning north in springtime to breed.Not
only are these small, forked-tailed songbirds agile fliers, they are also
highly social animals.They feed, roost
and fly – up to 25 mph - in large groups called flights, performing their
aerial dances en masse.If you catch
sight of a flight of swallows, you will see dozens of white undersides flash in
sharp contrast to their iridescent blue-green upperparts.

Consummate bug eaters, tree swallows, with their lithe, streamlined
bodies, are adept at capturing insects on the wing.Gnats, mosquitoes, mayflies, ants, beetles,
spiders and grasshoppers are among the many bugs caught in their short, pointy
bills.While insects make up about 80
percent of their diet, tree swallows also eat some berries and seeds.They are especially fond of the berries found
on wax myrtle and bayberry bushes and will often feed on those berries on rainy
days when the weather is not suitable for flying.

I don’t see tree swallows often and that’s one reason I find
each sighting so special.Another reason
is the gracefulness of these birds in flight, especially over water.Tree swallows travel with such ease of
motion.Simply watching them feels
enlightening.

I’ve often wondered what motivates swallows to intersperse their
aerial displays with brief touchdowns upon the water’s still surface.Are they after food?A drink of water?Are they taking a bath or simply having
fun?As it turns out, it could be any of
those reasons.

Food and Water – Although they are experts at catching airborne
insects, tree swallows occasionally seek out water-bound prey like water
boatmen (hemiptera) and midges, miniscule bugs that live on a lake’s surface.When the birds swoop down, their wide-open mouths
act like scoops, skimming up insects as well as water to drink.

Bathing – A tree swallow’s bath is a two-in-one operation.It’s a bath as the bird brushes the water
with outstretched wings.It’s a shower, as
it shakes water off while regaining altitude.Tree swallows also take advantage of rainfall to preen feathers and do a
bit of personal grooming.

Just for Fun – It’s impossible to know what goes on in any
animal’s mind, but it’s hard to imagine how these aerial artists could not
derive some pleasure from their aquatic touchdowns.Such fun it must be to fly as they do.Watching a flock on the wing over water is the
perfect combination of beauty with grace, utilitarian action with the sublime.

For most of Florida’s seasonal birds, March signals migration
time.Tree swallows will soon be
gathering in large flocks – sometimes numbering in the thousands – for the long
flight north.They will return to homes
throughout North America to find nesting sites in open spaces near marshes or
water where they’ll mate and produce young.The nests they build in either tree cavities or in manmade nesting boxes
are soft cuplike structures lined with feathers and made out of whatever
materials are close by – usually grasses, twigs and pine needles.

Although Floridians
will miss the reproductive period of the tree swallow life cycle, we can take
solace in anticipating their springtime return. I know I’m grateful for whatever encounters I
have with these avian beauties.I
consider each visit a gift as well as a reminder that 20 years ago my husband I
made the right choice in selecting a place to call home.

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Welcome!

Hi! I'm Sherry Boas. Thank you for visiting my blog. As a freelance writer, my work has appeared in numerous publications and my SIMPLY LIVING column ran as a weekly feature in the Orlando Sentinel for the 10 years between 2006 and 2017. You can find all my old columns on this site plus many other essays, poems, photographs and videos. Take time to explore and come back often. If you have a comment, question or simply want to say hello, please do! I look forward to hearing from you!

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